Nunavut Housing and Homelessness Strategy

Igluliuqatigiilauqta
Lets Build a
Home Together
Housing and
Homelessness
Strategy
The GN Long-Term
Comprehensive
Prepared by the
Nunavut Housing Corporation
Igluli uqati gi i lauqta Let s Bui ld a Home Together
2
Tamapta
identies the need for an achievable and comprehensive long term
Housing Strategy that addresses the entire continuum of housing, increasing
public housing, strengthening the rental market and providing support for
private homeownership. Supported by ndings in Igluliuqatigiilauqta:
Lets Build a Home Together the Framework for the Government of
Nunavuts (GN) Long Term Comprehensive Housing and Homelessness Strategy,
the following document outlines a strategy for meeting Nunavuts
housing challenges.
The GN Long-Term Comprehensive Housing and Homelessness Strategy
3
Table of Contents
Vision 4
Guiding Principles 5
Letter from the Chair 6
Ministers Message 7
Introduction 8
Understanding Nunavuts Housing Context 9
Nunavuts Housing Priorities 16
Strategic Direction: Increase Nunavuts housing stock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Strategic Direction: Improve collaboration among housing stakeholders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Strategic Direction: Identify and address gaps in Nunavuts housing continuum . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Strategic Direction: Instill self-reliance to reduce dependence on government . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Nunavuts Housing Challenges 18
Challenge: Housing Demand Factors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
Challenge: Limited Investment Dedicated to Housing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Challenge: The High Cost of Housing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Challenge: Barriers to Housing Supply . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Nunavuts Housing Strategy: Goals & Objectives 21
Goal: Dene Housing Demand Factors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Goal: Increase Investment in Housing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
Goal: Reduce the Costs of Housing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
Goal: Remove Barriers to Housing Supply . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Next Steps 24
4
Vision
Everyone deserves to have a home. The Government of Nunavut (GN) will
build and diversify housing for Nunavummiut while promoting economic
development and self-reliance - a central element in Tamapta Working
Together, the Government of Nunavuts 2009-2013 Action Plan.
5
Guiding Principles
The Government of Nunavuts Housing and Homelessness Strategy is guided by the following Tamapta
principles, which shaped the strategic direction set out in Igluliuqatigiilauqta: Lets Build a Home Together
the Framework for the Government of Nunavuts Long-Term Comprehensive Housing and Homelessness
Strategy and will dene the action to address Nunavuts housing challenges:
Inuuqatigiitsiarniq Respecting others, relationships, and caring for people.
The GN Housing and Homelessness Strategy respects Inuit knowledge and values,
fosters strong relationships, values a local understanding of housing solutions in decision
making, and values participation of all stakeholders in nding common solutions.
Tunnganarniq Fostering good spirit by being open, welcoming and inclusive.
Positive housing outcomes are created through good spirit and inclusivity;
the GN Housing and Homelessness Strategy provides equitable solutions to
individuals along the housing continuum and across the territory.
Pijitsirniq Serving and providing for family and/or community.
Putting people rst, the CN Housing and Homelessness Strategy is sensitive to aspirations of our
communities, encourages exibility, and promotes positive results for individuals and families.
Aajiiqatigiinniq Decision making through discussion and consensus.
Housing need and capacities dier across the territory, the CN Housing and Homelessness
Strategy respects diverse needs, and promotes policy development and decision
making through discussion and consensus to maximize multi sector collaboration.
Pilimmaksarniq Development of skills through observation, mentoring, practice, and effort.
Building housing will develop the territory; the GN Housing and Homelessness
Strategy fosters development of local skills through observation, mentoring,
practice and eort, supporting economic development opportunities.
Ikajuqtigiinniq Working together for a common cause.
Partnerships strengthen housing, the CN Housing and Homelessness Strategy reects
the collective responsibility of all levels of government and other stakeholders in
the creation of suitable, safe, and aordable housing for Nunavummiut.
Qanuqtuurniq Being innovative and resourceful.
Innovative and sustainable housing solutions will drive action; the GN Housing and Homelessness
Strategy strives to maximize existing resources, while exploring alternatives that both support
the development of a sustainable housing market and increase private market participation.
Avatittinnik Kamatsiarniq Respect and care for the land, animals and the environment.
Understanding of the land and natural environment; the GN Housing
and Homelessness Strategy considers the impact on and by the natural
environment in all capital planning as well as in its housing solutions.
6
Letter from the Chair
The Honourable Peter Taptuna
Minister responsible for the Nunavut Housing
Corporation
Government of Nunavut
Dear Sir:
As the lead agency for housing in the territory, the
Nunavut Housing Corporation was tasked with
producing a long term comprehensive housing
strategy on behalf of the Covernment of Nunavut.
This Strategy builds on the ndings of the
Framework for the GN Long-Term Comprehensive
Housing and Homelessness Strategy presented
in the fall of 2012 and lays the foundation for the
development of a coordinated Action Plan.
This Strategy, the Framework it is based on,
and the forthcoming Action Plan, represent a
comprehensive and overarching approach to meet
the housing needs of Nunavummiut. Together,
they provide the blueprint necessary to drive the
collective eort to overcome the daunting and
complex, but not insurmountable challenge of
overcoming Nunavuts housing issues.
Responding to our territorys housing challenges
will require signicant contribution and
collaboration from a wide range of partners
invested in seeing Nunavuts housing crisis
resolved. t will also require considerable nancial
investment.
The Government of Nunavut has the ingredients
to solve the housing crisis, but it needs these
ingredients to be put in the right formula. The
key to developing the right formula for Nunavut
is to recognize housing as an essential service for
Nunavummiut and that xing housing rst is the
right thing to do.
On behalf of the Nunavut Housing Corporations
Board of Directors, I have the honour of
presenting the Government of Nunavuts
Long-Term Comprehensive Housing Strategy:
gluliuqatigiilauqta: Lets Build a Home Together.
This document has been reviewed and approved
in compliance with the Nunavut Housing
Corporations Board of Directors responsibility to
review and approve strategic plans produced by
the Corporation.
Respectfully submitted,
Eugene Lysy
Chair
7
Ministers Message
Everyone deserves to have a home.
Tamapta 2009-2013
On behalf of the Government of Nunavut, we
are proud to introduce The GN Long-Term
Comprehensive Housing and Homelessness Strategy.
Many Nunavummiut are, and have been for
decades, living in housing crisis. t is a crisis
because the quality and quantity of housing
in the territory is below acceptable standard.
Nunavuts acute overcrowding masks a deeper
homelessness problem that is increasingly harder
to dene. Capturing what homelessness means for
Nunavummiut is crucial to identifying how it can
be addressed. Beyond overcrowding, Nunavuts
working denition of homelessness includes the
hidden homeless, those at risk, as well as the
absolute and visible homeless.
Without collaborative investment and shared
responsibility, Nunavuts most vulnerable
cannot be eectively supported to move from
dependence to independent housing. The gaps
that exist in shelter services perpetuate the cycle of
homelessness. Only by working together to create
more transitional and supportive housing options
can we nd ways to increase opportunities for
Nunavummiut to move along the continuum and
improve their quality of life.
Investment in housing and related public
infrastructure creates jobs and economic growth,
and helps to resolve Nunavuts inequities in health
and education. Above all, housing investments
provide Nunavummiut with adequate shelter
a necessity of life and the base upon which a
healthy, and sustainable future can be built.
As stated in the Framework, a home rarely stands
alone, it ts into a neighbourhood, a community,
and a territory. To develop more homes is to
develop Nunavut. Many barriers limit housing
development in the territory. However, with time,
collaboration, informed discussion, and strategic
investment, solutions are within our reach. The very
scale of such an undertaking is both challenging and
promising. t represents a true opportunity to shape
the future and advance Nunavuts economic, social
and cultural development.
The GN Long-Term Comprehensive Housing and
Homelessness Strategy addresses the entire
continuum of housing, highlighting the need for
stronger commitments to shelters, transitional,
and supportive housing options, increasing public
housing, strengthening the rental market and
providing support for private homeownership. The
Strategy equips Nunavummiut to make informed
decisions to solve Nunavuts housing crisis.
Lets start working together to address Nunavuts
housing crisis.
Respectfully,
Hon. Peter Taptuna
Minister responsible for the
Hon. Monica Ell
Minister for Homelessness
8
Introduction
Tamapta outlines a vision for housing in Nunavut
based on the principle that everyone deserves a
home. To support this vision, Tamapta identies
the need for an achievable and comprehensive
long term Housing Strategy that addresses the
entire continuum of housing: increasing public
housing, strengthening the rental market and
providing support for private homeownership.
Since the establishment of Nunavut in 1999, much
research has been done to identify the impacts of
overcrowding and homelessness, and the barriers
limiting the development of Nunavuts housing
sector. The 2002 Building Connections in Nunavut
initiative was the Covernment of Nunavuts rst
attempt at a multi-sectoral approach to developing
a housing strategy. The 2004 CN-NT Nunavut
Ten-Year nuit Housing Action Plan identied
the need for $1.9 billion dollars to address
overcrowding and the deteriorating condition of
Nunavuts housing stock.
In 2010 the Nunavut Housing Needs Survey
was completed, which gives an overview of the
demand for housing in Nunavut. More recently,
the NHT Lessons Learned report identied the
cost drivers and capacity challenges that aected
housing programs backed by $300 million of federal
funding. n the fall of 2012, the Nunavut Housing
Corporation completed Igluliuqatigiilauqta:
Lets Build a Home Together the Framework for
the Government of Nunavuts (GN) Long-Term
Comprehensive Housing and Homelessness
Strategy (the Framework). The Framework builds on
research done and provides the foundation from
which the GNs Long-Term Comprehensive Housing
and Homelessness Strategy has been developed.
Supported by ndings in the Framework, the
GNs Long-Term Comprehensive Housing and
Homelessness Strategy (the Strategy) outlines a
complete strategic structure for meeting Nunavuts
housing challenges. The second of three phases
forming a coherent and holistic response to the
territorys housing needs, this strategy provides a
solid structure for the next step in the Covernment
of Nunavuts comprehensive long term approach
for meeting all of Nunavuts housing needs:
the development of a realistic, achievable and
coordinated Action Plan.
Together, the Framework, the
Strategy and the Action Plan
provide the blueprint that will both
guide and drive the collective eort
required to overcome the daunting
and complex, but not insurmountable,
challenge facing housing in Nunavut.
9
Understanding
Nunavuts Housing
Context
As demonstrated in the Framework, Nunavuts housing challenges are
unquestionably complex. The territorys great size, its challenging climate,
and a legacy of underinvestment in basic infrastructure have all worked to
hold back the social and economic development needed to keep pace with the
long term housing needs of Nunavuts young, dispersed and small, yet rapidly
increasing, population.
Nunavuts Socio-Economic Status
Nunavuts constrained economic potential and
dependence on government diers sharply from
the Canadian experience. The discrepancies
are even more striking when socio-economic
performance indicators for Nunavummiut are
compared to those of all Canadians (Table 1).
Whether one looks at the age prole of
Nunavummiut, the dependency ratio, fertility rates,
educational attainment, health status, income
levels, poverty, or the extent of crime, they all reveal
great dierences from the Canadian average.
The eect of the lagging social performance on
the future economic development of Nunavut
and the prosperity of Nunavummiut cannot be
overstated. These dierences stand in the way of
Nunavut achieving its ultimate goal of a high and
sustainable quality of life.
Addressing the needs related to the current
socio-economic conditions of Nunavut requires a
signicant allocation of limited CN funds. Although
the Covernment of Nunavut directly subsidizes
more than 80 percent of all housing, many
Nunavummiut continue to experience a crisis
of chronic and socially crippling overcrowding
which has developed over the last half century.
The consequences of this enduring crisis are
increasingly evident. Foremost, the health of
Nunavummiut is being compromised.
Overcrowded conditions raise the potential for
stress, violence, food insecurity, abuse, addiction,
and suicide. They have contributed to Nunavuts
debilitating rates of respiratory infection and other
maladies. Beyond the negative health eects
and the implications for health-care spending,
overcrowding imposes a number of social
burdens. There is evidence that childrens early-
age development and their performance in school
are inuenced by the adequacy of their home.
The performance and productivity of adults in
the workplace and in their community is similarly
aected.
10
Table 1
Select Socio-Economic Statistics for Nunavut and Canada
Nunavut Canada
Median Age 23.1 39.9
Fertility Rate (2009) 3.22 1.67
Life expectancy at birth, years, males (2005-07) 67.2 77
Life expectancy at birth, years, females (2005-07) 70.2 82
Infant mortality rate (per 1,000 live births) (2005-07) 12.1 5
Cigarette smoking (% of daily or occasional use age 12+) 62.3 22.1
Adult body mass index (Age 18+) (30 and greater) (2008) 27.7 17.2
Dependency Ratio (residents aged 0-19 and 65+ vs. 20-64) 82.1 59.2
Graduation Rates, % of graduates aged 17 or 18 (2008-09) 39 75
Social Assistance Recipients (% of population) 51.7 -
Average after-tax income (for income earners, 2005) $28,781 $29,214
Median after-tax income (for income earners, 2005) $20,042 $23,307
Households facing food insecurity (2007-08) 31.9% 7.7%
Total Crime Severity Index 505.7 88.9
Violent Crime Severity Index 345.7 82.7
Source: Statistics Canada, Demographic Division; 2006 Census of Population; Nunavut Bureau of Statistics & Statistics Canada, Labour Force Survey; Government of Nunavut,
Department of Education; Canadian Institute for Health Information; Canadian Centre for Justice Statistics, Uniform Crime Reporting Survey.
Further, overcrowding increases wear and tear,
driving operating and maintenance costs higher;
forcing the Nunavut Housing Corporation (NHC)
to divert resources that otherwise could have
been used to build more homes. The economic
and social costs associated with these negative
outcomes have never been fully quantied for
Nunavut, but elsewhere evidence has been
presented to show that these societal costs can be
measured in billions of dollars.
11
Income and Economic Growth
Decades of low participation levels in the
education system and the wage economy have
left many without the nancial literacy skills and
the savings to break their dependence on Public
Housing. Strong economic growth accompanied
by signicant |ob growth could reduce the demand
for public housing, but one must also appreciate
that a great number of Nunavummiut have
inadequate or inappropriate employment skills,
poor labour mobility, and challenges with the
existing support systems.
In 2010, Statistics Canada found that average
personal income in Nunavut actually exceeded the
national average. However, median income levels
were the lowest in the country, which indicates
that a large number of Nunavummiut did not earn
the high average income. ncome disparities in
Nunavut were very large, however, income levels
alone do not tell the full story. One must consider
what incomes mean in purchasing power. n
Nunavut, essential goods and services cost two to
three times more than in southern Canada, and
household operating costs can be ve to ten times
more expensive.
Income must also be viewed against the territorys
dependency ratio, which compares the number of
income-earners aged 19 to 64 to those under 19,
and to those 65 plus. Nunavuts dependency ratio
was 82.1, compared to a national ratio of 59.2. n
other words, Nunavummiut who earned incomes
supported more dependents than anywhere else
in Canada. As the only realistic alternative for
Nunavummiut faced with hard choices between
food and housing security, public housing will
very likely remain Nunavuts primary source of
shelter for decades.
Population Growth
Nunavuts population 33,322 as of July 1st,
2011 had grown by 18 percent over ten years. n
the coming 25 years, it could rise by one percent
annually to reach 43,000 by 2037 a net gain of
9,500 residents. f the proportion of Nunavuts
population who live in public housing remains
constant through 2037 in other words, if public
housing continues to shelter 57.5 percent of
Nunavummiut, the number of public housing
tenants will rise to 24,650. This increase of close to
5000 public housing tenants will generate a need
for 90-100 new public housing units per year just
to keep up with population growth.
Rental Assessments
Figure 1
Public Housing Tenants Income and Rent, 2011
Average Household Income $9,700
Average Rent Assessed $285
Median Rent Assessed $60
Source: Nunavut Housing Corporation
Monthly Rent
Paid by Public
Housing Tenants
58%
12
2013 changes to the Public Housing Rent Scale will
index the minimum rent threshold to Nunavuts
minimum wage, eectively increasing the current
household income threshold of $15,600 up to
approximately $22,800 a year. This is anticipated
to increase the percentage of tenants eligible for
minimum rent from 58 percent to 76 percent
(Fig.1). n 2008, almost half the population more
than 15,000 people received income support
payments for at least part of the year. Clearly,
a family bordering on poverty cannot aord
anything other than public housing.
Benefits of Investment in Housing
Nunavut needs greater investment in housing
to increase stock and provide more diversity in
its housing options if its citizens socio-economic
performance is to improve. Direct investments
in housing provide economic stimulus with
measurable outputs. Moreover, investments in
public housing also provide cost savings to the
government in terms of reduced pressure on
other essential government services (Fig. 2).
As demonstrated in Figure 2, at $23,000 per year,
NHCs average public housing cost is $63 a day
(of which 65% is utility charges). With an average
occupancy of 4.44 persons per unit, this equates to
$16 per person per day.
Uquutaq Mens Homeless Shelter in Iqaluit, with
20 beds, operates a 16 hour shelter only service
at $27,155 per person per year or $74 per person
per day.Sivummut House Womens Homeless
Shelter in qaluit, with 12 beds, operates a 24 hour
full service at $49,490 per person per year or $135
per person per day. The daily cost of a |ail cell in
Nunavut is $306 and the daily cost of a hospital
bed is $1720 per day. There are also societal costs
that have not yet been calculated in terms of
employee absenteeism and high school dropout
rates, for example. Investing in public housing is
not just good social policy; it is good education,
health care, economic and community
development policy.
Figure 2
Public Housing Costs vs. Alternatives
Source: Nunavut Housing Corporation estimates 2012. Figures rounded to nearest whole person.
Cost per
person daily
How many people could be accommodated
in public housing at the same cost as
one person in other facilities?
5
8
19
108
13
Nunavuts Housing Continuum
Public housing investment not only reduces
pressure on other government services, but it
provides an aordable housing option for lower
income Nunavummiut. Aordability is also an issue
for the occupants of CN sta housing, but not to
the same extent as for public housing tenants. A
household receiving two government pay cheques
should be better positioned to consider buying a
home or even renting one from the private market,
but it faces two obstacles: a lack of incentive, and
a lack of opportunity. The subsidy provided to
GN employees through reduced rents creates an
economic disincentive which works against the
establishment of private real estate markets. CN
sta housing is however, an indisputably necessary
recruitment and retention tool where there are
gaps in the private market.
This issue of incentive, however, is much less
important to address than the lack of opportunity
to engage in the private market. Even if
government employees wanted to leave their
subsidized units, the great ma|ority of them could
not. Housing markets simply do not exist in many
communities. Even where rental markets exist, too
few units are available.
This means that in the short term, though costly,
the Government of Nunavut cannot abandon its
Sta Housing program. The program remains
an important element in the governments
recruitment and retention of employees. But
for sta housing to become a stepping-stone
to private-market rentals or homeownership,
government will need to consider changes. Sta
housing should provide new employees who
move into market communities with a home until
they become settled. These employees should
be encouraged to move into the private sector or
discouraged from remaining in sta housing when
market conditions develop to a point where this
becomes a feasible option. Currently, the program
does not adequately support this transition,
leaving many tenants to remain in sta housing
for the long term.
Government has established Homeownership
programs to help with mortgage down payments
and repair costs. t has programs to help public
housing and sta housing tenants make the
transition into market housing. t can improve
these programs by working with developers,
municipalities, and nancial institutions to
increase the private rental market and make
homeownership more attractive and aordable.
Government should consider how to adjust
its homeownership programs to attract more
Nunavummiut into the market for owner-occupied
homes and especially its own employees living in
sta housing.
However, without ensuring supply barriers are
addressed rst, making programming decisions
has the real potential to aggravate already
strenuous circumstances. t is critical that the
GNs approach addresses the root causes of
Nunavuts housing challenges before interfering
with programming levers that only address the
symptoms of Nunavuts housing crisis.
Nunavuts housing continuum (Fig. 3) clearly
reects the substantive reliance on government
for meeting housing need. For all intents and
purposes, Nunavuts housing continuum is
dened by the territorys inordinate reliance on
government subsidized non-market housing,
namely the Public and Sta Housing programs.
Private homes make up only one-fth of Nunavut
dwellings. With such limited availability of market
rental or homeownership, even Nunavummiut
who could aord to move along the continuum
are not able to, and are forced to rely on sta or
subsidized housing
14
Figure 3
An Example of a Complete Housing Continuum
Housing Continuum in Nunavut
Source: City of North Vancouver / NHC
Another major drawback of the territorys
existing continuum is the huge discrepancy in the
quantity and diversity of shelter for the housing
vulnerable. To date, the CN has not been in a
position to determine the full range of supportive
housing needed to meet the specic needs of the
population with mental wellness issues, physical
disabilities, seniors needs and other supportive
housing. Consequently, by necessity, all needs tend
to fall into public housing as a catch all, worsening
the already overcrowded living in these units.
For the Government of Nunavut to provide
signicant additional shelter or new programs
and services, it will require a policy priority
approach, targeted at rationalizing the delivery of
housing and its attendant support infrastructure.
Addressing the infrastructure decit and the
housing gap will take longer to address.
The link between housing and economic
development is clear: a predictable and
sustainable investment in housing creates skilled
jobs directly in construction and indirectly in
related industries; it also means employers can
nd more workers locally rather than in distant
labour markets. The payback through education
alone warrants serious consideration. n providing
a generation with employable skills, housing
investment carries the potential to reduce
Nunavuts future need for public housing
itself a compelling argument in favour of housing
investment. Through investments in particular
types of housing, government can address specic
needs across the housing continuum for both low
and middle income Nunavummiut.
Growing Infrastructure Needs
All of these housing investments carry particular
infrastructure needs; including oil storage tanks,
water and sewer, power generation, schools
and other community buildings. They could also
enable a more sophisticated system of building lot
preparation, perhaps leading to inclusive zoning
and other community-strengthening innovations.
They permit new approaches to energy eciency,
wastewater treatment, landll management, and
other environmental issues.
15
Naturally, dening the relationship between
housing and infrastructure must be a key action
item. At this time, the CN has not pursued the
calculation of the total infrastructure costs
associated with building the several thousand
units required to meet the future housing needs
of Nunavummiut (Fig 4). Likewise, the GN has not
undertaken the cost/benet analysis to measure
the eectiveness of its programming eorts to
inuence the demand and supply pressures the
housing sector bears.
As such, a necessary step is the development of
a modeling formula that can dene the ratio of
needed supportive infrastructure how many
power generators, power poles, cubic meters of
oil tank storage or sewage lagoons, how many
sewage and water trucks or utilidor systems
are required for every 100 housing units, the
number of units per year required to keep up with
population growth. 100 houses may not have a
large immediate impact, but continued growth will
eventually exceed current infrastructure capacity.
This step would ensure that the delivery of
housing is tied to the delivery of the supporting
infrastructure. n itself, this formula would help
the CN in prioritizing its capital investments but
it would also help to appropriately determine the
impact of any future housing investments.
Evidently, resolving Nunavuts
complex housing issues will require
a higher degree of coordination
and collaboration to ensure
Nunavuts limited resources
are appropriately allocated
to eectively and eciently address
the many barriers to fullling
Tamaptas vision for
housing in Nunavut.
Figure 4
Relationship between Housing and Infrastructure
16
Nunavuts Housing
Priorities
The Strategic Directions introduced in the Framework for the GN Long-Term
Comprehensive Housing and Homelessness Strategy set the foundation for
a comprehensive approach to address Nunavuts housing and homelessness
issues over the long-term. These Strategic Directions are based on key
housing priorities used to guide the creation of this Strategy. They will
continue to shape the development of the Action Plan to follow.
Strategic Direction:
Increase Nunavuts
housing stock
There is an immediate need to increase
Nunavuts public housing stock to alleviate the
socioeconomic burden of overcrowding. However,
over time the goal will shift to nding ways to
increase other types of housing, with a focus on
social and aordable housing in the midterm, to
supporting increased levels of homeownership
in the long term. The key to meeting this priority
will be in ensuring housing stakeholders are able
to contribute innovative solutions to meeting
the increasingly complex sheltering needs of
Nunavummiut.
Improve collaboration among
housing stakeholders
With a nite budget, the CN needs to nd
opportunities to maximize resources for improving
or alleviating pressures to housing. Increased
collaboration among departments and agencies,
rather than increased competition for the
distribution of the governments resources, will
provide a more eective and ecient approach
in the prioritization of government spending. The
NHC has consulted and collaborated with other
CN departments and Nunavut Tunngavik nc. (NT)
throughout the development of this Strategy, and
its accompanying Framework. The Action Plan to
follow will be interdepartmental and multi-sectoral
to further maximize resources and knowledge.
Greater collaboration will also provide a higher
degree of innovation in resolving Nunavuts unique
housing challenges; this innovation is especially
critical for attracting a level of investment in
housing to comprehensively address Nunavuts
growing need for homes that improve human
capacity, reduce social exclusion, and create
widespread gains in employment and income.
17
Identify and address gaps in
Nunavuts housing continuum
To understand the complex interrelationships at
the root of Nunavummiuts housing needs, it is
imperative that the gaps in Nunavuts housing
continuum are identied and researched. Caps
in the continuum not only prevent individuals from
accessing supportive housing options, but also
limit transition for individuals who would have
the nancial means of accessing private market
housing alternatives, if they existed. Through the
work done in the Framework, NHC has already
established certain gaps that exist in the housing
continuum, including purpose-built transitional
and supportive housing, and aordable private
market rental options. n the development of the
Action Plan, further research must be completed
to establish other gaps that exist, and how these
gaps can be addressed in a collaborative way.
Instill self-reliance to reduce
dependence on government
To successfully address the many complex
elements impacting the delivery of adequate,
suitable and aordable housing options for
Nunavummiut, the long term focus of Nunavuts
housing strategy must be on increasing the
self-reliance of Nunavummiut, eectively reducing
their dependence on the government, or their
employer, for meeting their housing needs.
NHC is working to develop programs aimed at
increasing self reliance. Recent changes made to
the Public Housing Rent Scale, for example, are
intended to encourage Nunavummiut to work
and accumulate wealth that may be reinvested in
the larger housing market, and eventually reduce
dependency on Public Housing and other social
programs. More initiatives aimed at increasing self
reliance will be vital to the further development of
housing in Nunavut.
18
Nunavuts Housing
Challenges
An achievable and comprehensive long term response to Nunavuts housing
challenges requires collaborative government involvement and signicant
investment to address the entire continuum of housing. Until we begin to
confront Nunavuts housing challenges, the housing crisis will persist.
n meeting the complex housing needs of
Nunavummiut, a strategic approach to addressing
the challenges must be undertaken. As illustrated
in the Framework, housing issues in Nunavut
are both unique and complex and solutions
must be considered relative to one another.
Housing is interconnected and requires signicant
investment, coordinated policy development,
strategic planning, and a clear understanding of
demand. A successful housing strategy cannot
depend on the viability of a single economic
sector, nor can the housing strategy expect one
CN department or agency to solve the crisis alone.
Solving the housing crisis is not a matter of
changing housing programs in isolation. There is a
relationship between each housing type; to change
one would mean that we need to ensure that
other options are available. This can only be done
if we have a clear understanding of the housing
challenges.
Challenge:
Housing Demand Factors
The Nunavut Housing Needs Survey showed
that 49 percent of occupied dwellings were
overcrowded or in need of major repair; there is a
clear need to explore polices that will move people
along the continuum and out of overcrowding
1
.
Further, the Nunavut Housing Needs Survey also
showed that if more housing were available, 3,580
household groups would move. The CN has yet
to identify which types of housing will meet the
demands, or explore policies that enhance the
ability of people to move along the continuum
2
.
Ensuring that housing supply is diverse will
improve return on investment and improve quality
of life. For example, as Nunavuts population
ages, housing must be built and maintained with
accessibility in mind to accommodate individuals
living with disabilities. This will allow elders to
stay in their home or age in place, will improve
quality of life, and will save the healthcare system
signicant sums
3
.
As highlighted in the Framework, Nunavut
has a gapped housing continuum which limits
movement between housing types. n other
1 Igluliuqatigiilauqta Lets Build a Home Together Framework
for the GN Long-Term Comprehensive Housing and
Homelessness Strategy pg 16
19
jurisdictions, many housing options enable
individuals to reasonably transition from one
to another. For example, the CN Sta Housing
program does not properly support the transition
of employees into the private housing market. At
the same time, the limited availability of private-
market alternatives (i.e. gaps in the continuum)
restricts this transition and continues to cost the
CN signicant sums.
4
Challenge:
Limited Investment
Dedicated to Housing
Since inheriting the housing shortage that
began with settlement, the GN has never had
a suciently funded housing program to meet
demand
5
. The Framework suggests that improving
territorial housing investment will take a major
restructuring of the GNs capital spending
6
.
Investment is needed to address not only
population growth, but the growing federal
funding gap. Existing federal agreements will
expire without renewal and signicant housing
contributions will cease. As per the agreements
with Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation,
Nunavuts federal funding for social housing
is already declining annually. Eventually, the
territorial government will bear the full burden of
providing social housing, which shelters a majority
of Nunavuts population. Nunavummiut will
have to make strategic decisions about the GNs
funding priorities. Developing a strong lobby and
exploring alternative nancing options to increase
investment in housing, as well as providing more
Homelessness Strategy Pg 26
Homelessness Strategy Pg 9
diversity in its housing options will improve
self-reliance and economic outcomes. |ust as an
inadequate housing stock imposes societal costs,
increases in the housing stock lead to a stronger
economy and a healthier society
7
.
Challenge:
The High Cost of Housing
The high cost and limited availability of
housing options in the territory compel many
Nunavummiut to continue as public-housing
tenants
8
for reasons of aordability. The high cost
of housing also places limits on public and private
construction and creates a barrier to market
participation. This is not abnormal for remote
locations facing climate challenges, and to some
extent, is to be expected.
The CN subsidizes 80 percent of the housing
in Nunavut, the bulk of that as public housing.
Maintaining the stock of public housing costs the
CN $23,180 annually per unit. Utilities represent
60-65 percent of this with water taking up the
greatest share of these costs, up to one third of
the total operating cost.
The CN will require signicant support to
address the current housing shortfall and gaps
in the continuum, but with the right policies and
priorities, this growth in demand can be met by
the CN. Until sustainable housing alternatives are
available, the GN must continue to provide public
housing for the ma|ority of Nunavummiut.
It has been argued that homeownership is the
logical transition for Nunavummiut living in public
housing, but analysis from the Framework shows
that for most tenants, homeownership is not a
20
viable option. Out of the 5000 public housing
units, 58 percent have a household income less
than $15,600; only 69 households are assessed
rent more than $1,500 per month and only 39
households have a combined household income
greater than $20,000/yr. n fact, the private
homeownership and private rental markets in
Nunavut are highly underdeveloped. 22 percent
of Nunavuts housing stock is privately owned,
compared to 68 percent throughout Canada. The
most frequent cited challenge to homeownership
is the high cost of construction.
In Nunavut, essential goods and services cost two
to three times more than in southern Canada,
and household operating costs can be ve to ten
times more expensive
9
, which drive operation
and maintenance costs. That coupled with the
short construction season and limited local skilled
workers increases the perceived risk of ownership
and drives the cost of construction. Reducing
housing costs for government and the private
market will allow public funds to be diverted to
increase housing programming or additional stock
and will permit private developers to bear less risk
in helping grow the private market and improving
housing in Nunavut.
Challenge:
Barriers to Housing Supply
Nunavut is made up of 25 communities situated
across a vast geographic range that encompasses
20 percent of the Canadian land mass. Access
to these communities is by air or sea only. Each
community lives in isolation, and requires the
same infrastructure and services as every other
community.
Economic development and construction are
restricted by limits to infrastructure. Nunavuts
potentially vast wealth is costly to access because
it lacks infrastructure that would support
resource exploration and extraction. Coordinated
development of infrastructure will create more
opportunities for new housing construction
10
.
Nunavuts underdeveloped wage economy also
plays an important role in economic, social and
cultural sustainability.
Creating policies that promote land availability,
coordinating strategic and community planning,
developing eective private market incentives
(especially in non-market communities) and
building diversied housing will bring Nunavut
housing supply in line with demand.
These four areas describing
the challenges and limitations with
regards to housing are critical for
creating a clear understanding
of the eorts needed for achieving the
Goals & Objectives
set out below.
21
Nunavuts Housing
Strategy: Goals
& Objectives
Goal:
Define Housing Demand Factors
Government programs are required across
the housing continuum to ensure housing
is aordable in Nunavut. Nunavut needs to
ensure that the very diverse housing needs
of Nunavummiut are being met, today and
tomorrow, in the most ecient, eective and fair
way. n the current context, public housing must
be made a priority.
There is also a need to establish a full continuum
of housing options, research the demand
pressures for specic types of housing, and
to examine the costs and opportunities for
transitions between these housing types. This will
allow a better allocation of resources to bridge the
gaps in Nunavuts housing continuum.
Objective 1:
Increase public housing stock to address
gaps and growth in demand
The Nunavut Housing Needs Survey
identified a 3580 shortfall in existing
housing availability. Moreover, to
simply keep up with population growth,
the GN will have to build 90-100 new
Public Housing units per year.
Objective 2:
Establish a complete housing continuum
specific to Nunavut
A better understanding of the specific
housing needs across the continuum,
including those of vulnerable
Nunavummiut, students, seniors,
families and individuals is required
to ensure all needs along the housing
continuum are being addressed.
A Nunavut specific housing continuum
is needed to enable better strategic
planning to respond to the full range
of housing needs in the territory.
Objective 3:
Improve transition along housing
continuum
Government subsidies and incentives
used to encourage one form of
housing should not dissuade
individuals from moving to other
points along the continuum.
22
Goal:
Increase Investment in Housing
Realistic solutions to Nunavuts housing challenges
require considerable nancial investment and
the contribution and collaboration of multiple
partners, including the federal government, Inuit
organizations, non government organizations and
the private sector. Without increased investment,
the housing situation in Nunavut will remain in
crisis.
Objective 1:
Strengthen government partnerships to
renew investment in housing
A consensus on housing investment as
a GN priority requires interdepartmental
dialogue about how to allocate GN
spending to meet housing and
housing related infrastructure need.
GN housing core investments will
need to be maintained regardless
of federal investments levels.
Objective 2:
Strengthen advocacy for renewed federal
investment in housing
The federal government should have
an investment role in addition to the
GNs core investment in housing. With
the collaboration of all stakeholders,
the creation of a solid, reasonable and
progressive business case is required to
address the legacy of underinvestment in
infrastructure and housing in Nunavut.
Objective 3:
Explore alternative financing options for
housing
Finding alternatives to the governments
existing financing options for housing
will alleviate budgeting pressures.
Goal:
Reduce the Costs of Housing
Reducing the cost of housing to Nunavut as a whole
can be achieved through utility reduction and
eciency initiatives, construction techniques and
administrative reductions. Any achievements in
this goal in one area of the continuum will likely be
applicable to other areas of the continuum. Keeping
with the Nunavut Housing Trust Lessons Learned
document, provision of public housing will be through
multi-family needs based housing, maximizing private
sector involvement and minimizing costs through
combined supply and build processes.
Objective 1:
Explore ways to reduce operation and
maintenance costs
Across the board, the delivery of housing
services must be reviewed to identify
opportunities for greater efficiencies
including the delivery of utilities at the
municipal and corporate level and reduced
consumption at the individual level.
Objective 2:
Retrofit and repurpose existing affordable
housing stock
Preserving existing stock is critical to
maintaining affordable housing across the
territory. Retrofitting existing units may
provide greater flexibility in filling gaps
within Nunavuts housing continuum.
Objective 3:
Ensure new construction is delivered
efficiently
Building on lessons learned, new
construction must support economic
development while ensuring that all
components of the project are focused,
transparent, and suitably resourced.
23
Goal:
Remove Barriers to
Housing Supply
Lack of competition in some areas of the market
results in barriers to housing supply. Covernments
role is to reduce these barriers and ensure it has
not inadvertently created others. The CN must
ensure land availability and proper construction
incentives for the housing market. The high level
of perceived risk in developing housing in the
North, related to construction costs and climate,
limits the development of a strong private market.
Creating policies that incentivize development
and stimulate construction will help grow the
private market and improve housing in Nunavut
overall. With Covernment directly responsible for
providing parts of the housing supply, such as
land, it must be careful not to inadvertently put
a constraint on supply. These barriers will not
be consistent across communities or over time.
Action must be targeted with resources directed to
where and when barriers exist.
Objective 1:
Strengthen strategic, capital and
community planning processes
Coordinated planning processes will
improve infrastructure development
and increase land availability to
harmonize residential construction.
Objective 2:
Enhance private sector incentive to supply
housing
Incentives and partnering opportunities
may reduce the risk associated with
building homeownership and rental
housing to strengthen the private market.
Objective 3:
Ensure appropriate housing options are
available
As research brings into focus the
diversified segment of Nunavuts
housing market, planners and
builders should ensure a supply of
housing that meets user needs.
24
Next Steps
Clearly there are multiple and multilayered benets to improved housing in
Nunavut. Moving beyond the strategic goals as set out in this Strategy, the
next step is the development of a realistic Action Plan to successfully address
the many complex elements impacting the delivery of adequate, suitable and
aordable housing options for Nunavummiut.
Responding to the challenges outlined in the
Framework and this Strategy will require
signicant investment, but they will also bring
signicant benets in the form of economic
and social development. Evidence exists from
other jurisdictions to show that investments in
housing has signicantly reduced health and
social service costs, and stimulated economic
growth. The Alberta Covernment attributed cost
savings worth billions of dollars over ten years
to its strong investment in social housing, and
Quebecs housing agency calculated that every
$1 spent on social housing projects directly and
indirectly created economic activity worth $2.30
11
.
The economic benets are obvious. nvestments
in housing lead directly to higher employment and
incomes in the construction sector, and indirectly
to a general rise in economic activity.
The social benet should also be clear. More and
better housing will take away some of the causes
of Nunavuts current crisis. Compounded by
hidden homelessness, overcrowding contributes
to low literacy, low graduation rates, high
unemployment, acute addictions, violence, and
crime. Overcrowding also contributes to Nunavuts
high suicide rate. Lacking the shelters, supports
and services to deal with these negative outcomes,
Homelessness Strategy. pg 6
Nunavut bears the burdens of high incarceration
levels and expensive healthcare costs. A portion of
these could be recovered by providing more and
better housing.
A home does not stand alone. t ts into a
neighbourhood, a community, and a territory.
To develop more homes is to develop Nunavut.
The very scale of such an undertaking is both
challenging and promising. It represents a
true opportunity to shape the future, and to
advance Nunavuts economic, social and cultural
development.
It is imperative that there be consensus on both
the range of issues needing attention and the
most eective means for addressing them. As
stakeholders are consulted and further research is
done, proposed actions will evolve; action toward
specic ob|ectives will be prioritized. The scope of
each objective and action will indicate the length of
time required to eectively complete it.
The credibility of the Action Plan will rest in its
ability to demonstrate that the Government of
Nunavut is indeed prepared to address the issues
impacting housing in a logical manner so that work
is directed to solving issues comprehensively and
strategically.
25
The strength of the Action Plan will be its ability
to demonstrate that the critical path it will
provide is both logical and achievable. To this
end, a broad range of assumptions concerning the
barriers aecting housing delivery and how best to
remove them, must be revisited.
It is critical that the Action Plan addresses known
barriers and identies others that impede action
for housing in Nunavut. The Action Plan must also
take into consideration opportunities for action to
improve or alleviate pressures related to housing
and to maximize the use of the CNs resources
to meet other ob|ectives by addressing specic
housing needs. Openness to new solutions will
be critical, for example, beyond reviewing existing
NHC programs, actions promoting privatization
across all areas related to housing, including land
development and ownership of public and sta
housing will be explored.
The Action Plan for Housing and
Homelessness must be a reection
of the Government of Nunavuts
collective understanding of the
individual role of each
department and agency
and how their respective mandates
intersect with the delivery of
housing and the eradication
of homelessness.
Lets Build
a Home
Together
The GN Long-Term
Comprehensive Housing and
Homelessness Strategy

Nunavut Housing and Homelessness Strategy

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